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reflect, remember, recycle

042208_600.jpg

I think this is quite possibly a blog crime, but I have opted today not to write a new post but instead, encourage you to read a post I wrote back in December. Gasp.

See, us Sisters wrote posts for this blog before we officially launched so there are some treasures back there in the archives that have barely seen the light of day. That plus this being Earth Day and all, makes me feel OK about recycling.

So, why this particular post? I just think that all sisters of the shutter can use a little encouragement now and again, to keep on keepin’ on; vigilant family historians, cameras at the ready, tirelessly lugging around the extra weight of the glass/plastic/metal that is our creative tool, even amidst the criticism of others—

When are you going to put that camera down?

Mom! No more pictures! 

You’re not taking your camera, are you?

Today, I want all of us to remember that our work as Shutter Sisters IS significant.  Can I get an amen?

Posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 by Registered CommenterTracey Clark in , , | Comments29 Comments

Reader Comments (29)

AMEN, sistah!

I adore this recycled shot...so sweet.
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commentermelody is slurping life
It's the thing (family photos) that most people take for granted because the memories are always there in black & white. (or color for that matter) But we know how important our job is to keep the past present... Memories fade, stories change, but pictures can last thru through the generations. True & as they always were....
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterjessica new
In spite of all of their objections and complaints - I continued to record my kids lives as they grew up.My youngest (pictured here) graduated from high school last year:

http://marciescudder.blogspot.com/2007/06/commencing.html
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterMarcie
Amen, sister. I hear the same comments from my kids! "Why do you ALWAYS take pictures?" I cherish the faded sepia prints from my great grandparents' time, the bent black & whites of my parents' childhood, and the fuzzy polaroids of my fifth grade field trips. I couldn't imagine moving through life without my camera.
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterlittlepurplecow
Amen!!!

This site is sooooo important. There are many newbies to photography out there (like me) and Shutter Sisters is an overflowing source of inspiration and talent. I'm so happy to have found you! Keep on keepin' on sisters!
Flower x

http://theflowerlife.blogspot.com/2008/04/shutter-sisters-reflect-remember.html
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterFlower
amen and hallelujah too! my fave snark is "i'd rather live it then take pictures of it" well LA TE DA! i am living and revering and honoring and preserving; for me and my family after me. my best friend just coined me a "life~brarian". i like it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/2232981288/?editreplace=1
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterkristin
Amen!
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterJen
This shot takes my breath away...I can still remember how my little ones felt resting on my shoulders like that...sigh
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterStephanie
You can hear an amen from me! Amen! I have great "memories" from my childhood...things I can't possibly actually remember, because of the slides my father took all the time when we were growing up. I'm hoping to do the same things for my boys.

And your shot on this post? Breathtaking. Brings back so many great memories!

April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterKacey
Amen, mama. Amen.

Our family albums were something I perused constantly. My mom wrote a caption under each and every one, in her perfectly decorative handwriting. A few years ago, the albums were beginning to fall apart. My father asked me to transfer the photos to new albums. I knew it had to be done, but I didn't want to toss the empty albums away. Even they meant something. The skinny, black leather one with gold trim. The short, fat blue one. The crazy one, with bright multi-colored flowers on it, and had a strange way of opening up.

So I cut each caption out of those old albums, and carefully taped it under the corresponding photo, in newer, sturdier albums.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/strawberrygoldie/2434138988/

All these old photos, they give us a glimpse into life as it used to be. They trigger memories we thought we'd forgotten.

Photography. How powerful it is.
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterHeather
right on, sister! i love that old post. our persistance behind the camera becomes the story of themselves that we are documenting. the way they perceive who they are, who they were, and the story of who they will become.

happy earth day!
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commentercamerashymomma
What a beautiful photo... I'm new to reading here but I have a feeling i'll like it. :)

happy earth day!
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commenter4 Little Men
I just found your site, and found it very interesting. I have lazy days also, and cant come up with new comment, and sometimes recycle old shots, but very few people catch it. Posting kinda forces me to shoot more often though.
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterTony
I'm also new here and look forward to sharing and learning more!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/39557403@N00/113703715/in/set-72057594084047728/
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterSusie
Amen, absolutely. My family is always laughing at me as I shoot seemingly random objects throughout the house and am constantly in their faces with my camera.

they don't always understand that i need it. it brings me peace and happiness.

happy earth day!
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterAshley
AMEN!! We all know how important it is. That's why we keep on doing it.
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterginna
Amen, sister! Loved that old post, and love the picture on this one -- the warm, soft weight and lovely smell of a newborn on your shoulder...OK, maybe I'd better stop before I start crying! LOL
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commentermary
Love the post you recycled, I recognize myself as a kid (and still) looking in the albums mom made for me. I love looking, not only at the photos of me, but of relatives that looks younger than now, the rooms we lived in and how my parents looked back then! I totally agree with you, it is soo important to document - family time especially!
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterHanna


Good afternoon Shutter Sisters

as some of you know, my dad passed away very recently. This is one of the photos we chose for the memorial invitation. I think he looks very dapper. There is always a place for photography - even someones quick snap can prove priceless later.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickythomasphotography/2434346492/

nicky x
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commenternicky thomas
amen, amen, amen.

There are times I feel badly, made uncomfortable when I think I'm "overdoing it" -- because though I'm shooting for my family and my friends too -- I'm mostly doing it for me.

Maybe that's not so wrong...
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterLyn
Amen...what would we do without our memory makers...

~~~"memory" a child who no longer takes sink baths...~~~

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22779383@N08/2434584090/


http://www.flickr.com/photos/22779383@N08/2433768883/
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commentersimply
Oh, yea! My daughter learned how to ride her bike last night. If I hadn't had my camera with me, I wouldn't have it to see forever. Not even the ride itself, but the look on her face when she did it.

http://thehipmommasjournal.squarespace.com/journal/2008/4/22/the-ride-of-her-life.html
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterMelody A.
Amen! Everything said here is so insightful and encouraging. Thank you! :)
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterO
I too was so fascinated by all the stories my Grandmother told while I poured over her old photo albums. It was particularly interesting to find out that my parents actually had adventures and a life before I came along!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lizziemarie/2434040535/
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered Commenterlizziemarie
This site has changed the way I think about photography. I'm so happy I found it completely by accident one day!

And here is my "Mom, stop taking my picture" shot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jlynn28/2401672603/
April 22, 2008 | Unregistered CommenterJen
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